Chapter 195: Municipal Committee Talk

On January 8, in order to effectively do a good job in the end-of-semester stage and the winter break, the County Education Bureau held a county-wide winter break work arrangement and deployment meeting at the High School. County Education Bureau Director Lu Fan attended the meeting and spoke. Education Bureau leadership team members, bureau organ middle-level cadres, principals of all public and private primary and secondary schools in the county, kindergarten principals, and other personnel attended the meeting.

The meeting arranged and deployed work on winter break, standardizing the development of private compulsory education, campus safety, integrity and self-discipline during the festival, etc., and made plans and requirements for relevant work in the next semester in advance.

Deputy Secretary Shen Jiqin deployed a special action to strictly investigate paid tutoring during the winter break, strictly prohibiting incumbent teachers from participating in paid tutoring or working part-time in social training institutions to seek improper benefits, and strictly prohibiting asking for or accepting property from students and parents or participating in various activities paid by students and parents.

In his speech, Lu Fan affirmed the brilliant achievements created by Ningyang education in the past year and called on all education workers to think calmly and plan for stamina, rest and set off again, move forward with victory, and comprehensively promote the construction of "Ningyang Education Strong County."

Lu Fan emphasized that party members and cadres in the whole county's education system

At the meeting, three schools gave speeches. Bureau Director Lu Fan took the lead in reading the Integrity and Self-Discipline Commitment, and the bureau's leadership team, middle-level cadres, and representatives of some principals submitted their own commitments.

On January 9, as soon as Lu Fan arrived at his office, he received a notice from the Municipal Party Committee Office: the Municipal Party Secretary wanted to speak with him!

Lu Fan was incredibly surprised. Even if it were a promotion, he was just a small Deputy Division Level official; why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken? He had never heard of the Municipal Party Committee calling in a Zhengke Level official for a talk.

Although he was somewhat uneasy, Lu Fan didn't dare to delay for a moment. He called his driver and headed straight for the Municipal Party Committee—if it's a blessing or a curse, you can't avoid it!

Upon arriving at the Municipal Party Committee Office and stating his business, the secretary led Lu Fan to Secretary Li Mingzhou's office and then left.

Secretary Li sat in the spacious and bright office, wearing a crisp suit. He was staring intently at the mountain of documents on his desk, his fountain pen occasionally leaving annotations and signatures on the papers.

Hearing a sound, he looked up, glanced at him, and said softly, "Wait a moment." After saying this, he lowered his head again, fully focused on reviewing the documents in his hands.

Lu Fan stood quietly to the side. The entire office was exceptionally quiet; one could even hear the ticking of the wall clock and the "swish-swish" sound of Secretary Li's pen scratching against the paper.

After about ten minutes, Li Mingzhou put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, rubbed his slightly sore eyes, and then smiled at Lu Fan: "Sit, don't be so reserved!"

After hearing this, Lu Fan cautiously walked over to the chair and sat down, but he kept his posture upright, his back straight, trying his best to appear natural.

"I just looked at the rankings submitted by the Education Bureau. Ningyang County is ranked first! You have been very much in the spotlight this year!"

"It is all thanks to the support of the County Party Committee, the County Government, and our superiors that we have been able to work with a free hand."

"Hmm, not bad! Although you have achieved certain results, you cannot be arrogant or complacent. There is still a long way to go in the future; you must continue to work hard and keep making progress!" Li Mingzhou nodded and said, "I asked you here today because I want to discuss an adjustment to your work position."

Hearing this, Lu Fan held his breath, trying hard to control his emotions, and said, "I will obey the organization's arrangements!" He was truly quite nervous inside.

"The position of Deputy County Chief of Ningyang County is vacant. After organizational assessment, the Municipal Party Committee intends to have you take over this post. Do you have the confidence?"

"Thank you and the organization for your trust in me! I will certainly not fail the Secretary's expectations and will strive to do my job well!" Lu Fan almost stood up in his excitement and hurriedly expressed his stance to Li Mingzhou.

Li Mingzhou nodded with a smile, "Young man, work hard! Ningyang County and the cause of education need cadres like you who have ability, drive, and energy!"

"Secretary Li, I will definitely work twice as hard and strive to get a few students into 'Qinghua or Peking University' from Ningyang!" Lu Fan said with a firm tone.

"In a few days, the Organization Department will go down to conduct an assessment. You should prepare in advance."

After discussing work, Li Mingzhou suddenly asked, "I see you were born in '89. Have you resolved your marital status?"

Lu Fan said helplessly, "Secretary, it hasn't been resolved yet!"

"So, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Not at the moment."

Li Mingzhou nodded with satisfaction and said, "Now that you are at the Deputy Division Level, you should put the marriage issue on the agenda; otherwise, it gives people the impression that you are immature and lack stability. If you don't have a suitable partner, let me help you look for one!"

"Secretary, you are busy with a thousand tasks; how could I dare to trouble you with such a small matter?" Lu Fan's mind was full of question marks. A dignified member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee and Municipal Party Secretary—isn't he being a bit too concerned and enthusiastic about a cadre?

"I'll contact you when I find a suitable candidate. Go back and wait for news! Remember, work hard and let your results speak for themselves!" Li Mingzhou waved his hand, signaling that Lu Fan could leave.

"Thank you for your trust and promotion, Secretary. I will keep your instructions in mind, guard against arrogance and rashness, and go all out to do my job well, not failing my mission!" After thanking Li Mingzhou again, Lu Fan walked out of the office in high spirits.

Stepping onto the road back to Ningyang, he took a deep breath. He felt the air had become fresher, and he felt both excited and nervous, yet also found it all so incredible. At the same time, he felt the weight of the responsibility; a new challenge was about to begin, but he had the confidence to lead all the educators in the county toward a better, more brilliant tomorrow!

Back in the county, Lu Fan immediately went to the County Government to report to County Chief Bian Jide, because even now he still found it incredible and was even at a loss; he needed someone to help him analyze and clear up his confusion.

After waiting in line for a while, Lu Fan entered the County Chief's office.

As soon as he entered, he said, "County Chief, do you know where I just went?"

"Stop keeping me in suspense. Can't you see I'm busy? So much work in a day, endless meetings! Four yesterday, three today, averaging more than two a day. Sigh, when will the meetings from superiors ever be truly streamlined!" Bian Jide complained; he only spoke like this with Lu Fan.

Lu Fan also treated Bian Jide as an elder and said mysteriously, "I just came back from the Municipal Party Committee. Secretary Li called me in for a talk!"

"Secretary Li? Municipal Party Secretary Li Mingzhou?"

"Yes!" Lu Fan nodded.

Bian Jide said in surprise, "What did Secretary Li talk to you about? Could it be to promote you to Deputy County Chief?"

"That is indeed the case!"

"That's not right, though? To promote a Deputy County Chief, the Municipal Party Secretary talks to you personally? Why is your face so big? When I became County Chief, Secretary Li didn't even talk to me personally!"

"I'm puzzled too, which is why I came to ask for your advice."

Bian Jide became interested; he was no longer busy with work and began to ask Lu Fan for some details.

But after asking for a while, he still couldn't find any clues, so he said, "Let's stop guessing blindly. Isn't it enough to know you're going to be Deputy County Chief? It's definitely a good thing that the Municipal Party Secretary values you!"

Lu Fan laughed, "That's true. County Chief, there shouldn't be any surprises regarding my promotion, right?"

Bian Jide said irritably, "Secretary Li said it himself; isn't that enough? Don't talk about a small Deputy County Chief, even if it were a Vice Mayor, as long as Secretary Li promised it, it's a done deal. He is a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee; Secretary Li's word is law in Yingjiang! Just go back and wait for the assessment with peace of mind!"

Lu Fan asked again, "County Chief, which area will I be specifically responsible for?"

Hearing this, Bian Jide couldn't help but laugh out loud, "It's not even written in the stars yet! What are you rushing for? Don't tell me you don't want to be in charge of education? Do you want to try your hand at investment promotion?"

Lu Fan hurriedly waved his hands to explain, "Please don't misunderstand! It's only in front of you that I dare to be so uninhibited and speak my mind!"

"Alright, alright, go back to your unit and work honestly. I still have a pile of things to finish here." Bian Jide waved his hand to signal him to leave.

"Got it. Then I won't disturb your work; I'll go back and take care of my own little patch of land!" Lu Fan responded while turning to walk out the door.

Sometimes it is very necessary to appropriately play dumb in front of leaders and show one's immature side!

The moment he stepped out of the county compound, he felt the sky was much deeper and bluer than usual, and even the air he breathed into his lungs was filled with a pleasant, joyful sweetness. At this moment, he truly understood what it meant to be "in high spirits when happy events occur"!

Back at the Education Bureau, Lu Fan felt as if he had been injected with adrenaline. He quickly adjusted his state and threw himself into his work with full focus and high spirits.

At the same time, for the sake of continuity and control over the Education Bureau, Lu Fan began to consider candidates for the position of Education Bureau Director.

After becoming Deputy County Chief, although his official rank had indeed increased, he also faced some very realistic challenges.

If the director of the bureau under the Deputy County Chief's jurisdiction is a veteran or has a strong personality, and at the same time actively leans toward the County Party Committee Secretary, then these bureau directors are very likely to listen to orders but not follow them, or even adopt a strategy of outward compliance and inward opposition toward the Deputy County Chief.

Lu Fan would never tolerate his "revolutionary fruits" being wasted or ruined by others; this was not only his foundation for survival but also a stepping stone for future promotions. Therefore, he was determined to secure the position of Education Bureau Director.

It would be best if the director were chosen from among the deputies in the Education Bureau, and the most ideal candidate would be Wang Fei.

On one hand, it was because he had a relatively close relationship with Wang Fei, having known him for seven or eight years, and it would be more conducive to the continuity of work if he became the director. On the other hand, Wang Fei was a classmate of the teacher Wang Hongtao, and they had a deep friendship. Perhaps, with the help of this connection, the teacher would give him a helping hand.

However, regarding the candidate for Deputy Director, Lu Fan himself didn't know out of what motive he had actually come up with the idea of pushing Yao Qian. Does this count as sucking up to the teacher?

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